WORLD GOLF TEACHERS CUP – CHINA, 2013

Brush up on your Mandarin! Negotiations have recently been completed for the 2013 World Golf Teachers Cup. The event will be organized by China GTF president Steve Mak and vice-presidents Toby Tse and Quincy Tam, along with a task force of USGTF-China volunteers.   The host facility is the famous Shanghai Sun Island Golf Club, located approximately one hour from the Shanghai Pudong airport. A brief description of the facility includes two 18-hole championship courses, named the Old and New courses. The tournament will be held on the Old Course, which is a walking course; however, caddies will be available. The course is over 20 years old, has reasonably wide fairways, and challenging greens. It sits next to the Grand Canal, which was built 1,000 years ago and continues all the way to Beijing in the north.   The tournament will be a 3-day event held Tuesday, October 29 to Thursday, October 31, 2013. Participants can arrive on the 27^th of October and play a practice round on Monday the 28^th. The annual China Golf Teachers Cup will be held on Thursday, October 31, on the last day of the World Cup event.   Accommodations are onsite and include 3- to 4-bedroom bungalows, of which some are attached and some are arranged as individual homes. The clubhouse overlooks the golf course. You may view the website at www.sunislandgolf.com and click on the Shanghai facility.   Entry fees for the event will be available by mid-2012 as resorts in China are reluctant to lock in rates two years in advance. More information in this regard will be made available to everyone via newsletter and/or Golf Teaching Pro magazine.   This marks the fourth time that the biennial World Golf Teachers Cup will be held outside of the United States. Previous tournaments were held in Brazil and twice in the south of Spain.   According to WGTF president Geoff Bryant, “Because a good portion of WGTF members are from Asian countries, this will be a great opportunity for US members to experience the Asian culture and compete against our golf teaching peers in this part of the world. The event will definitely become a full-field tournament. Therefore, please plan well in advance to ensure your participation.”   From China GTF president Steve Mak says “Kung Hey Fat Choy” – greetings for the Chinese New Year to everybody.